Mulaney Special Offers 22 Minutes Of Reasons To Watch Mulaney

Fox has given comedian John Mulaney his very own comedy this fall, but despite appearances on comedy specials and a lengthy tenure as a writer on Saturday Night Live, the world doesn’t know that much about the comedian. So, this week Fox has partnered with Hulu to release “Mulaney An Opening Act Preview Special,” which should give you an idea of who Mulaney is and what his New York-based comedy is about. If you have 22 minutes of time to spare, give it a watch.

The lengthy look at Mulaney begins with a live studio audience and plenty of stand-up comedy. The now-actor explains the little bit of apprehension he feels about the show, noting, “It’s a scary thing a new show. Especially when the new show is titled Mulaney.” The rest of the special offers a look at Mulaney's main premise, which will follow the comedian living and working in New York City, and is loosely based on the man's real life. He should have some serviceable roommates in Seaton Smith and Nasim Pedrad, as well as neighbors and friends in Elliot Gould and Zack Pearlman. John’s life will change when he is hired to write for legendary game show host Lou Cannon, who will be played by Martin Short.

Mulaney has been in the works since the spring of 2014. It was initially conceived as an NBC comedy with Short and Gould attached. The network passed on the pilot, but Mulaney’s smart and spitball comedy was good enough that Fox picked up the idea and moved forward with it. Mulaney will air as part of Fox’s Sunday night comedy block, which will included animated staples, as well as new live action comedies like Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Mulaney has a lot of elements of old school comedies in it. There’s the laugh track, and also the fact that Mulaney plans to pop out of character to present stand-up during the episodes. The latter is a little bit of a twist, but stand-up during an episode is an old staple presented by the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, and more recently, Louis C.K. Regardless, even if Mulaney has gone pretty old school with its format, the lead is a smart, young comedian with plenty of writing experience and a stellar cast to back him. In short, the comedy is one to watch.

If you don’t have time to peruse the lengthy 22-minute segment, Fox has been gracious enough to release photos and a shorter, smoother trailer related to the series. Do give that one a shot before Mulaney hits the fall schedule on Sunday, October 5 at 9:30 p.m. ET.